Tasmanian
Veterans’
Advisory
Council
Communiqué
Tasmanian Veterans’ Advisory Council – 14 March 2013
The Tasmanian Veterans’ Advisory Council (TVAC) held a meeting at the Port Arthur
Historic Site.
The meeting was followed by a Meet and Greet session, which was attended by the
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Scott Bacon MP. Members of the local ex-service
community attended to meet TVAC members and talk with them about issues of
concern and interest.
The following issues were discussed and considered:

An update was provided on the three initiatives announced in the 2010-11 State
Budget including the Lt Col Harry Murray Scholarships, the War Memorial Repair
and Maintenance Grants Program and the Government Reception. The
Scholarships were awarded on 20 February 2013 to Ms Sarah Peart, Ms Chelsea
Marriot and Mr Greg Sheehan. Sarah is researching how the emotional
processing of post-traumatic stress disorder impacts on sleep quality. Chelsea’s
research will investigate the psychological consequences of war in Tasmanian
war veterans. In particular her research will investigate whether post-traumatic
stress disorder affects memory performance in everyday cognitive functioning,
in the same way as the memory of traumatic war-time events. Greg is
researching the First World War experiences of Tasmanian soldiers of Irish
Catholic backgrounds.

Centenary of World War One. The Council discussed:
o The governance arrangements put in place by the State Government;
o Possible projects and commemorative events that could be undertaken
during the Centenary
o Possible funding sources and processes for accessing funds

There was discussion about the TVAC’s workplan and communications strategy.
Council members agreed to undertake a number of activities to promote their
work and to assist ex-service organisations connect.
The next TVAC meeting is scheduled for 18 July 2013 in Launceston.